The
American
Wisdom Series
We come now to the 20th chapter
of Revelation at which
point the 7th Trump has sounded and the true Jesus Christ has returned
with great power and glory, bringing with Him His army of saints.
Babylon
the Great, i.e. the one world political system and the great whore
along
with Satan's role as the false-christ, i.e. the spurious messiah, has been
destroyed
forever and ever. And as we learned in our chapter 19, ALL flesh has
been
"changed" and everyone, both the good and the bad are in their
spiritual
bodies.
So it is the first day of the
Millennium and John, who you
remember in Rev. 1:16 was taken there for an eye witness account, gives
us another advanced news report, this time concerning the fate of Satan
during the Millennium. Can't you just visualize the headlines?
THE MILLENNIUM PRESS
First Edition
"SATAN
IMPRISONED, BEGINS SERVING
1000 YEAR SENTENCE" John,
the disciple whom Jesus loved,
was present today as Michael came down from heaven and appeared on
Satan's
doorstep with a warrant from the King of kings for his arrest.
Satan has been residing in the temple for the last 5 months
(ever since Michael cast him from heaven) where he has been
impersonating
Jesus Christ and claiming he is the Messiah come. He also is being held
responsible for orchestrating the murder of God's two witnesses, a
despicable
crime, which he has been actually celebrating with his cronies for the
last 3 1/2 days.
Here's John description of the first thing he saw:
Rev.
20:1
And I saw an
angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a
great chain in his hand.
It must
have been pretty obvious to
John when he saw the equipment, with the "BP" label on it, which the
angel
had with him, that Satan was about to be shackled and locked back up in
the Bottomless Pit. John continues:
[2]
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil,
and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years
It
would seem that Michael needed no
assistance as he apparently just grabbed the evil crook by the
shoulders,
threw him mercilessly up against the wall and shackled him with the
binding
chain. It has also been reported that because of the manhandling of
Satan
by this very powerful angel that some folks are referring to him as the
"Pit Bull".
Also,
we were not able to determine
from John's report whether he was close enough to hear what the angel
said
to Satan, but we believe it was something like "OK chump, the party's
over!
Let's go!" John did not report that the angel read Satan his rights
because
having already been judged and sentenced to die, he has none.
John
then gives this account of
the actual incarceration:
[3]
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
So as
John reports, for the next 1000
years Satan will be imprisoned and not permitted to have any contact
whatsoever,
either by person or by spirit, with anyone outside his confines.
However,
we know from a related article submitted thousands of years ago by
reporting
agent Isaiah that Satan will be visible throughout the Millennium as a
reminder to all of what can happen. Here's part of Isaiah's transcript
concerning Satan's casting into the pit:
Isaiah
14:13
For thou hast
said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation,
in the sides of the north:
[14]
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High.
[15]
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
[16]
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
saying,
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
And so
it shall be that people will
walk by the "pit" during the Millennium, on their way to Discipline
Classes,
and shake their heads in unbelief to think that this poor slob could
have
perpetrated worldwide religious deception and political control.
End
of article.
Yes, it's fun to imagine how it
might happen, but happen
it will! We already knew who the dragon and that old serpent was. We
also
knew from 2 Pet. 3:8 that 1000 years to the Lord is a one day, so that
the Day of the Lord is 1000 years.
But the one thing we didn't
discuss is "why will Satan
be released at the end of the Millennium"? I'm sure you realize if
you've
studied this Book of Revelation from the beginning with us that Satan
is
coming to this earth disguised as Jesus Christ (and I'll bet you know
that
he comes before the true Christ). This final generation then will be
tested
by the false messiah, right? Those who fail, who do not overcome and
who
don't partake of the first resurrection, will go through the Millennium
and be taught of and with discipline for 1000 years, which is how much
time they have to get their act together. After they have been taught
there
will be another test, a final exam if you will, which they must pass
before
they can receive their diploma of eternal life. That test is Satan's
release
once again upon the world, but this time without the political beast
and
the role of spurious messiah. And no, it is not a second chance because
they never came to a full knowledge of the truth in this generation
because
of the "famine" (Amos 8:11), and as such never had a prayer of a first
chance.
Next we will learn what reward
comes with being part of
the first resurrection.
[4]
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto
them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads,
or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
Thrones, you know, are where rulers, the
ones who wear crowns,
i.e. the ones in authority who exercise judgment, sit.
And
there
are two groups in this verse who sit upon them.
(1) The first group are the
martyrs down through the ages,
those who have been beheaded, i.e. killed or executed for the (a) the
witness
of Jesus, and (b) for the Word of God. It would include the two
witnesses
also.
(2) The second group are those of
this final generation
who had the seal of God in their foreheads and who overcame the beast.
Note: In our previous studies
we've covered in great detail
the beast (Satan), his image (role as Jesus), his mark upon their
foreheads
(deception), and his mark in their hands (doing his work).
Now, did you read the last phrase
in verse 4, "and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years"? What an
honor and
a privilege! If you ever are in want of some encouragement to continue
to fight the good fight, then just refer to Rev. 20:4. For if
you
are one of God's elect then you will be part of the first resurrection
at His coming, and you will reign with Jesus Christ for the entire 1000
years during the Millennium.
[5]
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
But if you are not part of the first
resurrection then you
are part of "the remainder" who are called "the dead" and you must wait
until the end of the Millennium. You will then be tested that short
season
by Satan who will be released temporarily, and then you will be judged
at the Great White Throne Judgment when the books are opened (vs. 12).
Only then can you be part of the Second Resurrection and receive
eternal
life. Until then you are called "dead" because you are still subject to
the second death, which is the destruction of your soul in the lake of
fire (vs. 14).
Here is Christ documenting that there are two deaths,
one
of the flesh, and one of the soul in the lake of fire:
Matthew
10:28
And fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
And of course to have your soul
"destroyed" is to "perish",
which is taught in the most quoted verse in God's Word, John 3:16.
John
3:16
For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So
you'll either receive eternal life
at the first or second resurrection, or you'll suffer the second death,
i.e. perish in the lake of fire and YOU WILL BE NO MORE!
Let's now go back to Rev. 20:5.
Understand that we are
now in the Millennium! There are no more flesh people! Everyone has
been
changed. And John is telling us what's going on! The first death (of
the
flesh) and the first resurrection (to eternal life) is over! So the
"dead"
(who are still alive in their spiritual bodies) in the Millennium means those
who are "spiritually dead", i.e. still liable to die the second death (the death of their soul). To "live" then is to receive "eternal
life".
So the "dead" cannot "live" until the thousand years are finished, i.e.
none of them can receive the gift of eternal life until judgment day
following
the Millennium, which is the second resurrection! If you don't quite
understand
yet, wait until we finish this chapter and it should become clear in
your
mind regarding the "dead".
Rev.
20:5 But the rest of
the dead
lived not again until
the
thousand years were finished. This
is the first resurrection. 6.
Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the
second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and
shall reign with him a thousand years.
To be part of that first resurrection is a
truly an Unfathomable
Blessing! If you have SEEN the PICTURES of heaven and of the glory of
our
Father and His throne described so far, and if you will follow with us
to the end of this great Book of Revelation and SEE the beauty of the
NEW
JERUSALEM coming down out of heaven, then you still cannot fathom the
blessing
of being part of the first resurrection. Our feeble brains just cannot
imagine how wonderful it is!
Now read again chapter 20 verse
6. Since eternal life
is granted to those who are part of the First Resurrection, then the
second
death, the lake of fire, does not apply to them! Their souls cannot be
destroyed because they have already received the gift of eternal life.
And they shall be PRIESTS and REIGN with Christ throughout the
Millennium
Next we will document from the
Old Testament and see in
greater detail the reign of these Priests of God and of Christ. But for
now, just stop everything and take a deep breath and consider the
following:
If you have eyes to see and ears
to hear then you have
been and will be reading about YOU, a participant in the first
resurrection!
And if you can only even briefly comprehend the enormous reality of all
this, that it WILL HAPPEN TO YOU as it is written, then your faith will
be greatly increased, your fears and anxieties will be greatly
decreased,
and you will be overcome with love and thankfulness for our Father who
loves His children so much.
Now we continue in what is often
called the Millennium
Chapter, because the events that are being described are happening
during
and after the 1000 year reign of Christ and His saints which commences
with the sound of the 7th Trump.
We learned in Rev. 20:6 that
those who are part of the
first resurrection will be Priests of God and shall reign with Christ
during
the 1000 years. But once again, as we have seen throughout Revelation,
this is not new knowledge if you are familiar with all of God's Word.
You
see, the last 8 chapters of the Book of Ezekiel contain more
information
about the Millennium than does the Book of Revelation. And so we can
read
even more detail about the 1000 year reign of God's elect, who are
called
the "zadok" in Hebrew, which means the "just" or "justified ones" (Rom.
8).
Here's Ezekiel's account in chapter 44 concerning the Priests
during
the Millennium:
Live
Links below
to- Ezekiel Chapters 40-44 Within The Millennial Temple
and Ezekiel
Chapters 45-48 Without The Millennial Temple
Ezekiel
44:23
And they shall
teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause
them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
Those being taught by these priests
obviously couldn't discern
between the false messiah and the true Messiah, the profane and the
holy,
before the 7th Trump sounded, could they?
[24]
And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge
it
according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes
in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
AMAZING! We just read of this:
Rev.
20:4 And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto them... and they lived and reigned
with
Christ a thousand years.
But here's some detail that we didn't
learn of in Revelation.
And it answers a very common question often asked: "Will we recognize
our
loved ones during the Millenium?" The answer is yes, of course. (After all,
we were created after the image of God and the angels, the host of
heaven,
the sons of God, i.e. ourselves. So we will all look like "ourselves"
after
which we were created in the image of.)
[25]
And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for
father,
or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister
that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
Again, how many times must we realize that
these "dead" people
are alive and going to discernment classes during the Millennium?
They
are "spiritually dead".
Even your loved ones if you are unfortunate
enough
to have some who don't make the "first cut" at the 7th Trump, are
called
"dead", again, because they have still mortal souls and are still liable to die the
second death.
You probably call some of them "dead beats" now, though
hopefully
not to their faces. Well...? Be nice.
Let's continue with chapter 20 of
the Book of the Unveiling,
the book that let's us SEE behind the VEIL!
We are now going to be taken
behind that veil to the End
of the Millennium, and we must "transport" our minds to that time with
the understanding of those things which have been revealed to us thus
far.
Remember, everyone is now in an incorruptible, spiritual body. Christ and
His
zadok have been reigning for the 1000 years during which time Satan has
been imprisoned. Everyone now fully understands God's Word and they have
been taught the "difference" and how to "discern" between the unclean
(Satan's
ways) and the clean (God's way). They have all seen many times the
video
replays of this flesh age and the results of following the unclean path.
So you would think that most
everyone would SEE and desire
in their hearts to follow God and love Him and live the clean way of
life
that produces happiness and joy. That is our Father's desire, but there
is some sad news in the next two verses.
Rev.
20:7 And when the
thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
It is soon time for the Great White Throne
judgment of God.
Christ now lets Satan loose to test those who followed after him
before.
[8]
And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of
the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of
whom is as the sand of the sea.
And so Satan shall once again run "to and
fro" and "up and
down" in the earth gathering together all who will still follow him,
although
as you will recall he will not be afforded the one world political
system
or his former role as the false-christ. This beast and false prophet
were
destroyed for ever and ever (Rev. 19:20).
But as incredible as it may seem,
and as sad as it is,
the reality is that there will still be a lot of people who will follow
Satan, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. So this verse
documents
the justification and the reason for the release of Satan and the
"testing".
All one can say is that the heart of the wicked and the Kenite is a
very
hard thing to change.
The statements "in the four
corners" and "Gog and Magog"
simply mean all those nations outside the Holy City. Remember we are at
the end of the Millennium and this Gog and Magog is not to be confused
with the pre-millennial Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Here it
means
in both directions, East and West, from Jerusalem into all the earth,
i.e.
into all four corners. (For further documentation see notes in the
Companion
Bible on Rev. 20:8 and Ezek. 38:2)
[9]
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of
the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out
of heaven, and devoured them.
When Satan has gathered all who will join
him and they have
compassed Jerusalem then it's lake of fire time for them. No need to
even
open up the book of works on these folks for they have totally and
completely
failed the final exam.
They will not graduate into eternity. Bye!
[10]
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and
night for ever and ever.
Here we come to the favorite verse of
Dante, who gave us
graphic descriptions, complete with illustrations, of an everlasting
Burning
Inferno, known as Dante's Inferno, where poor souls who didn't repent
weep
and wail and writhe in pain and agony and torment forever and ever
while
the saints sitting on the clouds with their harps look upon them and
sing
the refrain "Burn, suckers, burn, we told you so, we told you so"!
Some
concept of heaven, eh?
Well
it ain't so!
First of all, it is documented time after time after time
in the Bible that the fate of the wicked is to PERISH, to die the
second
death, which is the DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUL! We've already quoted John
3:16 in the last study as well as Christ's own words in Mat. 10.
But
let's read again His words:
Matthew
10:28
And fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
And how about Satan's soul? Did we just
read that Satan will
be tormented for ever and ever? No we did not, because we read an idiom
of another language translated into our English which completely lost
the
meaning. It would be like translating the English expression "She got
cold
feet", meaning "She lost her nerve" to do something, into French. But
in
the French language there is no such expression and so the best the
readers
of the expression can determine is that the actual temperature of her
feet
much approach that of ice!
The root of the word "torment" in
verse 10 is the Greek
word basanos from where we get our word "basis",
and it means (through
the notion of going to the bottom). But
the whole expression together simply means that Satan will be consumed,
debased, gone, day and night (for all eternity), forever and ever (to
be
no more).
For further documentation, let's
look at a second witness,
another account of Satan's ultimate fate, found in the 28th chapter of
Ezekiel.
Here's how he DIES! He perishes by fire!
Ezekiel
28:18 Thou hast
defiled thy sanctuaries by
the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick;
therefore
will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee,
and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them
that behold thee.
Always remember from the last verse in
Hebrews chapter 12
that our Father is a consuming fire. He will destroy Satan and turn him
into ashes forever and ever.
Does that mean he'll burn for
ever and ever? Of course
not.
[19]
All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou
shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Satan will BE NO MORE!
You just read it! His very name in
Greek is "Apollyon" which
means PERISH. That is why he is called the "Son of Perdition", i.e. the
son who will perish!
The same fate that awaits
all of us who don't have part in the first nor the second resurrections.
Do you realize that Satan has
succeeded in taking a few
mistranslated verses and created an almost universally accepted
Christian
doctrine so heinous that it even defies the nature of human love. We
have
laws in human society against torturing both animals and people. Even a
parent of a child who became a despicable evil murderer could not
imagine
nor accept and would certainly never decree that the child be heinously
singed with fire, poked with hot coals, and roasted in an oven. What
parent,
brother or sister could look upon one of their own being treated as
such?
They could perhaps accept the humane execution of the child, to put him
or her out their torment for ever and ever, for the protection and good
of society. And guess what? God says in Jer. 32:35 that He
never
ever thought of torturing children in fire! Such is the doctrine of
Molech!
NEVER EVER! And yet today it is a doctrine in most Christian churches.
But it is a tradition of men like Dante
and not of God's Word!
And as it is written, Death is
exactly the punishment
God decrees for the murderer in the flesh body, and as it is written,
Death
is also exactly the punishment God decrees for the wicked in the spirit
body.
And just as we don't have to put up with the evil (flesh) person
anymore
on earth when they are executed (the first death), so we will not have
to put up with the wicked anymore for all eternity when they are
executed
(the second death).
Rev.
20:11 And I saw a
great white throne, and
Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them.
This is the last day of this earth age (this earth age which ends after the Millennium), (NOT to be confused with the FLESH and BLOOD AGE - which ENDED AT CHRIST'S RETURN). Now
the full God head
comes to earth. We'll read of it in detail in the next chapter. And
this
verse should remind us of that which we read in Rev. 6:14 "And the
heaven
departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and
island were moved out of their places." It is the end of this present
heaven
and earth age, the 2nd heaven and earth age, and the beginning of the
3rd
which is for all eternity.
[12]
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according
to their works.
Do dead people stand? This is not talking
about resurrection,
this is the coming before the Judge! Stand up and approach the bench
please!
Remember where we are? We are at
the end of the Millennium.
There are no people in flesh bodies nor are there any souls in the
ground.
The "dead" referred to here are the spiritually dead who are about to
be
judged from the books and receive their rewards according to their
actions! Even though many of them claimed to be Christians; Their last actions recorded in the books just before the Millennium
were to worship the beast and his image! God will pick it up from there.
And so it is more than obvious
that these books that are
opened are the Books of Works. You see, Almighty God keeps perfect
records
of all His children's activities? Thank God for this
dispensation
of grace and for repentance (provided our repentance was sincere) whereby we can have our "activities", our
sins,
deleted from the books. Also, remember that those of the first
resurrection
are not subject to the judgment of the second resurrection and/or the
second
death.
We read that in verse 6.
Notice too that the Book of Life
was also opened.
This book already has the names of God's elect in this generation
written
in it. In fact, their names were written in that Book of Life a long
time
ago, before the foundation of this world. Remember we read of it in
Rev.
13:8? All those of this generation whose names are not written in it
will
worship Satan as Jesus.
Rev.
13:8
And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Let's return to the judgment.
Rev.
20:13 And the sea gave
up the dead which were
in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works.
This verse simply says what the last
phrase makes obvious.
That every single person on earth who is spiritually dead, i.e. has a
mortal
soul and is subject to the judgment, will be brought forth and judged
according
to their works. There will be no "plea bargaining" and no "defense
attorneys"
will be permitted in the courtroom except when it is their turn to
stand
before the Judge to defend themselves! (That ought to be really
something
when they try to parse and redefine the Word). NEXT!
[14]
And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death.
That's right. It's all over, all death and
dying, and all
the evil rudiments and wicked people will be consumed by the consuming
fire, and they will be gone forever and ever. As Paul would say:
1 Cor.
15:55
O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The only victory comes from having your
name written in the
Book of Life!
Rev.
20:15 And whosoever was
not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
They will be no
more!
---------
As for the rest of God's children
whose names were written
in the Book of Life? They lived happily ever after!
The Millennium is over. The final
period, the final time
of salvation has come to an end. The great white throne judgment has
been
concluded and the books have been closed. Our Father has destroyed all
evil rudiments and souls in the lake of fire and we shall begin the
wonderful,
peaceful eternity.
And so the question is often
asked "Can anything or anyone
rebel again as did Satan in the 1st earth age? In other words, how do
we
know there won't be another Satan?" The answer is contained
in understanding
the plan of God itself. No,
it can never
happen again. Why? Because all freewill souls will have now exercised their
freewill, i.e. made their decisions as to who they will follow, and
will
have been thoroughly tested to the point of irreversibility.
The wicked will have proven they won't repent and the saints will have
proven to always be faithful. Have you not read of the testing of all
the
saints from Noah to Abraham to Christ Himself to You (well maybe you
keep
a diary)? So you now know why James says in chapter 1 verse 2 of his
book,
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
Hey, now you get to "ace" another pop quiz!
Now we'll learn of the new 3rd. heaven age and the new 3rd. earth age.
Rev.
21:1
And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were
passed away; and there was no more sea.
The word "first" used here is the Greek
word "protos" and
is the same word translated "former" in verse 4. So the heaven and
earth
that pass away in this verse is the one prior to the "new" one which
now comes
into existence "after" the lake of fire, i.e. the present earth age
that
we are in now, the 2nd earth age.
We know from 2 Pet. 3 that there are
three heaven and earth ages. It is the same earth but three different
"ages"
because the earth itself "abideth forever" (Eccles. 1:4).
The "world
that
then was" (Gen 1:2), prior to the foundation of this earth age, was
totally
destroyed, as in made unlivable.
It perished at the overthrow of Satan.
This one will perish
at his destruction!
And so the 3rd earth age will be
for all eternity. The
planet itself will be set back on its proper axis and correct orbital
path.
The actual seas will be dried up and the water will return to the
canopy
from whence it came. The earth will once again be the most beautiful
paradise
in the universe.
And our Father along with us/we who have been granted
eternal life will call it Home!
Note: We flesh human beings get
all excited when the thought
crosses our minds that we might not have boating and fishing, or golf
courses,
or have sex in the next dimension. Just remember that our Father
doesn't
take anything away that He doesn't replace ten fold. So did
you know
that the entire universe awaits for the perfection of the Sons of
God?
Talk about a fishing expedition!
See commentary on verse 7.
[2]
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
There's nothing more beautiful to an
husband than his adorned
bride!
[3]
And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God
is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
God promised to dwell with man as part of
His everlasting,
unbreakable covenant a long time ago. He purposed it even from the
beginning,
for the desire of His heart is to be with and among His children for
ever
and ever, world without end.
Here is the promised fulfilled in Rev.
21:3,
i.e. the tabernacle IS with men, promised by our Father to Israel in
Ezekiel
37:
Ezekiel
37:26
Moreover I will
make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant
with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my
sanctuary
in the midst of them for evermore.
[27]
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and
they
shall be my people.
And do you know what? That glorious holy
city, the New Jerusalem,
from that day forth, from the day it comes down out of heaven
throughout
all eternity, will be known and recognized as the Headquarters of the
Universe,
also referred to as "Heaven", for it will bear the name of God Himself,
Yahaveh Shamma, which interpreted means "The LORD is there".
These are
the very last words of the Book of Ezekiel concerning the new city:
Ezekiel
48:35
It was round
about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that
day
shall be, The LORD is there.
What will it be like living there
with our
Father?
Rev.
21:4 And God shall wipe
away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away.
Can you even begin to imagine such a
society? No more pain
and suffering, no more disease and war and death and dying, no more
pesky
telemarketers interrupting your dinner trying to sell you something you
don't want or need.
Yes, heaven on earth!
All the former things, all the
evil spirits, all the wicked
people, all corruptible flesh are passed away, GONE!
[5]
And
He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He
said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Guess who's talking to John now!
"John,
you tell My children
that they can count on My Words coming to pass exactly as I have spoken
them."
So if it sounds too utopian for
the skeptic, or it sounds
too good to be true, it isn't. In fact the words of man cannot even
begin
to describe the beauty and wonder, and yes, even the excitement of all
that our Father has planned for His children. Man's words cannot
describe
it because man's mind cannot imagine it.
This we know for it also is
written
and is true and faithful:
1 Cor.
2:9
But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Now here comes a great opportunity. Would
you like to hear
God speak to you? He just told John to write His true and
faithful
words down for you and me. Here's what He has to say to us.
He is
speaking
to us:
Rev.
21:6 And He said unto
me, It is done. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that
is
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Here's how the N.E.B. translation has this
verse: "Indeed',
He said, 'they are already fulfilled. For I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end..."
Our Father tells us if we thirst
for Him, (Amos 8:11 ...not
a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:), He will
provide
us with all of the purest water of life that we could ever want.
And if we become DOERS and not
just HEARERS, i.e. if we
overcome, you won't believe the reward He has in store for us!
[7]
He
that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he
shall be my son.
Living with our Father! Imagine that!
Now
imagine inheriting
ALL things:
Our Father OWNS, lock, stock, and
barrel as they say,
the Entire Universe. And when He says we will inherit ALL THINGS,
that's
infinitely more than all the wealth on earth! So if you are an
overcomer,
next time you're outside at night standing next to someone, you can
look
up and point to the stars and say "You see this vast universe? My
family
owns it all!" (Just be very careful who you say that to. Use wisdom and
common sense.)
In contrast, just so you can SEE
THE DIFFERENCE, here's
the inheritance of the wicked:
[8]
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second
death.
But the faithless, and the non-believers,
and the disgusting
lowlifes, and murderers, and sexual perverts, and drug pushers, and
lovers
of everything other than that which is holy, and all liars (including
unrepentant
politicians and attorneys), they shall inherit the Lake of Fire.
In
other
words, all the "wicked" will be consumed away, burned up in the lake of
fire, which means they will DIE eternally, gone forever, PERISH.
We spent considerable time on
the last part of this study,
but we must understand that the lake of fire is the second death, the
DESTRUCTION
of the wicked souls!
Remember we read of it in Rev. 20:14
"And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
God
is going to destroy the souls of the incorrigibly wicked along with
everything
evil. He can do it, and He will! His words are "true and faithful".
Remember
once again what Christ said:
Matthew
10:28
And fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell.
So you say you understand? You've done
well! It is
now time for dessert, a special treat from the sweet hidden manna from
the Book of Psalms.
Note: You have seen us
make reference to the
Companion Bible many times in our studies. If ever there was a reason
to
obtain one it is to have access to the "gems" contained in the original
manuscripts that are not brought forth (and therefore hidden) to the
ordinary
English reader. That which follows, along with all the richness
contained
in the Massorah, is found within its pages. It is the most
comprehensive
Bible available to the English reader. The Companion Bible is published
by Kregel Publishers and can be ordered from most bookstores.
or
you
can
and
the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf
Speaking the of Psalms The 37th Psalm is an "Acrostic" Psalm. An
acrostic is where
sets of letters taken in order form a word or a special sequence. For
instance
the word SUN is an acrostic found in the word (restaurant) reStaUraNt, or LOCUST is
an acrostic found in the word hoLOCaUST
In the 37th Psalm each of the 22
quatrains, i.e. sets
of four lines, begin with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet,
except
that the 4th, 11th, and 19th letters each have a triplet assigned to
them,
i.e. only three lines, instead of a quatrain. These three
triplet
verses occur in perfect order within the 37th Psalm and when taken
together,
as a separate set, they form an acrostic.
This acrostic will reveal the
second death, the ultimate
fate of the wicked who sometimes seem to have it made with lots of money,
big mansions and fancy cars, beautiful babes, etc., all derived from
wicked
devices like those we just read of in Revelation, i.e. drug pushing,
prostitution,
extortion, theft and deceptive business practices such as fixed markets
and underhanded commodities trading.
The other amazing discovery is
that these three verses
parallel precisely the three verses we just finished reading in
Revelation
21. Here is the acrostic of the 37th Psalm.
Psalm
37:7
Rest in the
LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth
in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Be patient, thirst for righteousness, and
don't be envious
of the wicked who seem to prosper. Here's why:
Psalm
37:20
But the wicked
shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs:
they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
The wicked shall PERISH, not fry
"unconsumed" in Dante's
Inferno for ever and ever! You just read it, they shall CONSUME
AWAY!
It will be like a dripping drop of fat that splatters onto the hot
burning
coals of fire and is vaporized into smoke! This is the second death and
a great analogy of it! SEE it in your Mind's Eye!
Psalm
37:34
Wait on the
LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land:
when
the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
So be patient and wait on the LORD and you
shall be exalted,
receive a crown and a throne, and INHERIT all that our Father has
promised
to those that keep His way and overcome. I know it boggles the minds of
those who love our Father to think that anyone could choose not to
follow
Him. But the wicked shall not and as verse 34 says "they are cut off"
(from
all inheritance) and you shall witness their execution in the lake of
fire
and that will be the end of it!
They are all gone, so let's get
on with eternity!
Rev.
21:9 And there came
unto me one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and
talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's
wife.
Here comes one of those angels from chapter
16 again. Do you
think it was the same one who came and talked with John in verse 1 of
chapter
17? Perhaps, but it could just as well be one of the other
six who
gives this magnificent tour. And so the angel told John, who as far I
know
hasn't taken a lunch break yet, to come and he will show him the
beautiful
bride, the Lamb's wife.
[10]
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God,
Next we will read about the beauty and
splendor of this great
city, the holy Jerusalem. And since Almighty God dwells there, guess
what?
We will be reading about HEAVEN!
It's coming here!
We are now in the eternity. The
Millennium is over. All
that which offends has been consumed away for ever and ever in the lake
of fire, to be remembered no more. And our Father has prepared a great
and beautiful city which He now brings to earth and places squarely on
the spot He picked out to be the headquarters of the universe for all
eternity,
Jerusalem (read Ezek. 16).
Earlier we saw John being carried
away in the spirit by
one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven
last
plagues to be given a grand tour of the Eternal City, New Jerusalem.
[10]
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God,
Do you look forward to this great city?
Our forefathers did!
Yes, they were well aware of the Eternal City and the very vision of it
increased their faith.
Abraham looked forward to it:
Hebrews
11:10
For he looked
for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And not only Abraham, but Enoch and Noah
and all the patriarchs
desired that heavenly city.
Hebrews
11:16
But now they
desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not
ashamed
to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.
And now we are privileged to be given a
first hand description
of some of the beauty and details of that great city. Of course its
number
one attribute is that our Father will be there.
Rev.
21:11 Having the glory
of God: and her light
was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as
crystal;
The glory of God is that beautiful
multicolored sparkling
rainbow, the "shekinah" glory, that surrounds our Father. Do you
remember
we read of that glory and the jasper, etc. in the 4th chapter when John
described God's throne and He that sat on it?
Rev.
4:3
And He that
sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a
rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
And so it is written that our Father will
be with the beautiful
new city descending out of heaven.
Rev.
21:12 And had a wall
great and high, and had
twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written
thereon,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
We are reading the actual description of
the eternal city.
Think about it! It is so easy for us to read parts of the Bible such as
this as if it was story, and miss the reality of what is written. This
is for real. It shall descend from heaven and contain twelve gates, one
for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel. And the rest of the nations will
be
there also as we shall see in verse 24.
[13]
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three
gates;
and on the west three gates.
All that Revelation tells us is that there
will be twelve
gates, three on each of the four sides, and they will contain the names
of the tribes of Israel. If we want more details all we have to do is
read
the rest of the Bible, it's all there. Ezekiel, for example, tells us
whose
name is on which gate:
Ezekiel
48:31-35
And the gates
of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three
gates
northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. [32]
And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates;
and
one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. [33]
And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and
three
gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. [34]
At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three
gates;
one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
And the name of the entire city for all of
eternity is
"The
LORD is there", Yahveh Shamma.
[35]
It
was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city
from
that day shall be, The LORD is there.
Let's continue with the description of the
city.
Rev.
21:14 And the wall of
the city had twelve
foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
We just read of the 12 Patriarch's names
being written on
the twelve gates and now the 12 Apostle's names are written on the
twelve
foundations.
Note: Do you remember
in chapter 7 of Revelation
that two of the tribes of Israel were left out of the sealing of the
144,000?
Well, if you notice carefully in Ezekiel's description of the gates of
the city that all 12 original tribes are represented, or shall we say
restored.
Does it not follow that the 12 Apostles written on the foundations will
also be the original twelve, i.e. restored? It is written
that Judas
repented for that which he had done and was then murdered by the
kenites
so that he wouldn't expose them. Jesus said that the Father gave all 12
disciples to Him, including the one who would fulfill the role of
betraying
Christ, just as it was written. One thing is for certain, however, and
that is that we are not the judge.
Rev.
21:15 And he that
talked with me had a golden
reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
This golden reed, like a plant stem or
yardstick, is to measure
length, height and width for dimensional purposes only. It is
not
the same as the reed we read of in chapter 11 that was "like unto a
rod",
which means it was to measure for the purpose of destruction.
[16]
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the
breadth:
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The
length
and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Amazing, isn't it? The city is foursquare
and about 1500
miles wide and 1500 miles high. Of course if it were centered in
Jerusalem,
750 miles west would be in the Mediterranean Sea, but you will recall
in
verse 1 of this chapter, there are no more seas at this time. The
waters
have returned to the canopy in the firmament above the earth.
[17]
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits,
according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
A cubit is the length from the elbow to
the tip of the fingers,
usually of the ruler at that time of history. Since this is a perfect
city,
then the cubit that this angel used would be of He who is perfect and
rules
that great city, even Christ.
[18]
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure
gold, like unto clear glass.
How else could John describe the materials
of another dimension?
Brilliant translucent stones and transparent glass-like gold really
only
give us a glimpse, for we see only darkly behind the veil.
[19]
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all
manner
of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire;
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
[20]
The
fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the
eighth,
beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a
jacinth;
the twelfth, an amethyst.
These twelve stones are the same stones
that the Levitical
priests wore in their breastplates, each one representing one of the 12
Tribes of Israel. We find them listed in Exodus 28:17-21 "And
thou
shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first
row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the
first
row. [18] And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a
diamond.
[19] And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. [20] And
the
fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in
gold
in their inclosings. [21] And the stones shall be with the names of the
children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the
engravings
of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the
twelve
tribes".
Rev.
21:21 And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls;
every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was
pure
gold, as it were transparent glass.
Ah, the famous Pearly Gates of Heaven (now
on earth), mentioned
thousands of times each day in jokes about people who have died and are
waiting at the Pearly Gates where they are greeted by St. Peter.
Hmmm...
we read earlier whose names were on these gates and guess what?
St.
Peter's
name wasn't there. Now that's funny!
[22]
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
the temple of it.
We knew that. Christ said He was the
temple:
John
2:19-21
Jesus answered
and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up. [20] Then
said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and
wilt
thou rear it up in three days? [21]
But he spake of the temple of his body.
Rev. 21:23
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
it:
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
That is correct, Jesus Christ is the light
of the world.
And when the brilliant "shekinah glory" emanating from God bounces off
the water canopy 1500 miles above the earth, the entire earth will be
illuminated
from within.
This thought always brings to
mind the awesome experience
of the "Aurora Borealis", the northern lights, also called the
"northern
dawn", which I was so privileged to witness some years ago while
traveling
north in Canada. As breathtakingly beautiful as they are, I can only
imagine
that they are but a dim view of the emanations of the "shekinah glory"
to come.
[24]
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Yes, there are the different "races"
present in the eternity
and this verse documents that fact. The Greek word translated "nations"
used here is "ethnos", meaning the ethnic peoples of the world, who are
all those races who are not of the 12 tribed House of Israel.
It is too bad that the Four
Hidden Dynasties, especially
those of both religion and education, have brought forth the humanist
doctrine
that there are no differences between the races. Of course there are
and
there always has been, and furthermore, there always will be even
throughout
eternity. But then of course the humanist also teaches that everyone is
the end product of the evolution of organic slime.
They are not too
bright,
are they?
However, if the truth of God's
Word were taught, that
we are all equally God's children, i.e. created by Him, and loved by
Him,
then the racial and cultural differences would be looked upon as gifts
from God for the purposes of His plan for His children throughout all
eternity.
"Variety is the spice of life" we say, and yet God is declared a
"racist"
for instilling differences into His children.
So as it is written, the races
shall be present throughout
the eternity and praise God for that. Furthermore, they shall be
blessed
to have their own kings to represent them and to bring their glory and
honor into the great eternal city. Those kings (and queens) are those
of
their race who have and even now love and follow Jesus Christ and His
Word,
and who for their faithful service to Him shall lead their people into
the promised land for all eternity.
And so as it is written, all
nations of them which
are saved, shall walk in Christ, and share in the glory of
that city
to come, which is heaven on earth!
[25]
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be
no night there.
Not only shall the earth be illuminated 24
hours a day but
the gates to the city will always be open to the nations of the earth
to
enter therein.
[26]
And
they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
[27]
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,
neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are
written
in the Lamb's book of life.
The "abomination of desolation" and the
"father of lies"
and all who followed in his path are no more!
And as it is written, the rest
lived happily ever after!
What an incredible source of
information this picture
Book of Revelation has been to those of us who have willingly taken the
time to SEE the PICTURES and then read the simple explanations of the
symbols
and imagery used by the Holy Spirit to teach us.
We have now come to the 22nd and
final chapter of this
remarkable book where we continue, since chapter 21, verse 9, to read
about
the glorious new Holy City of Jerusalem which our Father will bring
down
out of heaven to this earth, wherein He shall dwell with His children
for
ever and ever. And since the entire Godhead will now be present on
earth,
heaven will be here also. So you see, the earth is our home
for ever
and ever, for Heaven and Earth shall be as one!
Let's continue now with the angel
still giving John a
grand tour of the City of God.
Rev.
22:1
And he shewed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
the
throne of God and of the Lamb.
Remember, this is what it looked like to
John. The only way
he could describe that which emanated and proceeded forth out of the
throne
of God and of the Lamb was that it looked like a river of water of
life,
only it was pure and clear as crystal.
Note: It is highly recommended
for those who would like
more insight into the river of water of life, that they read "Jacob's
Pillar", A Biblical Historical Study, by E. Raymond Capt,
M.A., A.I.A.,
F.S.A., Scot., published by Artisan Sales, Thousand Oaks,
CA.
www.artisanpublishers.com This book traces the rich
history
of the Stone which Jacob anointed and set up as the House of God. It
was
this same Rock that was carried in the wilderness which Moses struck
and
the "river of water proceeded forth" to quench the thirst of the
people.
It was this same Rock that Jeremiah took along with the daughters of
the
last king of Judah, king Zedekiah, to the shores of Ireland whereupon
the
marriage of Eochaidh and Tamar Tephi, the King and Queen of Ireland,
took
place. It is this Rock upon which virtually every king and queen of
Ireland,
Scotland and England has been coronated. Yes, even King James who
decreed
the English translation of the Bible was coronated on this Rock and it
has resided under the English coronation throne in Westminster Abby
from
the 1300's until just recently when John Majors, the former Prime
Minister
of England, had it moved to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland at the request
of the Scots who claim to be its rightful owner.
Rev.
22:2 In the midst of
the street of it, and
on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations.
This is another PICTURE. Can you visualize
it? See
a crystalline river proceeding forth from God's throne with the tree of
life standing on each bank. And each month the tree brings forth fruit
to be eaten and leaves to maintain the wellness of the nations.
Yes, I can SEE the PICTURE, but
what does it mean?
Well, let's start with the "tree
of life". If you have
read all of God's Word then you encountered the "tree of life" in the
very
first book of the Bible, for He was in the midst of the garden of Eden.
Genesis
3:22
And the LORD
God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and
evil:
and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live for ever:
The tree of life, when its fruit is eaten,
grants eternal
life. The tree of life is symbolic of Jesus Christ. And He "feeds" His
people. He always has and He always will, even throughout the eternity
as we just read in Rev. 22:2. He is the "bread of life" just as He is
the
"tree of life".
And we read in the messages to
the churches that all those
who overcome will be given to partake of the tree of life which is
where?
In the midst of the paradise of God!
Rev.
2:7
He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him
that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst
of the paradise of God.
Well what is the fruit that the tree bares
each month? I
know, it's very hard to get apples and oranges out of our heads, isn't
it? Well we just read of the Holy Spirit proceeding forth from the
throne
of God as a river of the water of life! What are some of the fruits of
the spirit?
Galatians
5:22
But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith,
There are other fruits of the spirit. Do a
word search and
seek, and ye shall find.
Well, how about the leaves? Are
people going to get sick
and need medicine? Imagine after all the times we've discussed the
incorruptible
body, the spiritual body, which never hurts or pains, that we can come
right back with a question like that?
The Greek word for "healing" is "therapeia"
from
which we get our word "therapy". Therapy is when you "do something" in
order to maintain or improve a condition. The leaves therefore will be
therapeutic for the nations, for they will bring forth exciting things
for the nations to do throughout eternity and throughout this expansive
universe that will "treat" their mental well-being, i.e. keep them from
ever becoming idle minded or devoid of interest. Yes, it's in the
leaves.
How sweet it is.
Rev.
22:3 And there shall be
no more curse: but
the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
shall
serve him:
Again, every cursed thing and all that
offends have been
completely consumed in the lake of fire. They are GONE, i.e. there
shall
be no more accursed thing!
[4]
And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.
When the bride gets married her last name
changes to her
husband's name.
[5]
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither
light
of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign
for
ever and ever.
[6]
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord
God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the
things
which must shortly be done.
So the grand tour and the true and
faithful sayings weren't
just for John, but for all the servants of the Lord God. And thank God,
now we know. Imagine if we had listened to those who call themselves
ministers
of God and yet tell their people not to read the Book of Revelation.
We
would have been robbed!
Rev.
22:7 Behold,
I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy
of this book.
And the very last words that John hears
before he returns
to his lot on the isle of Patmos are from the Lamb of God Himself. It
is
he or she that keeps and does the sayings of the prophecy of this book
that shall be blessed! No other therapy will work!
Next we will see John come back
from the future to his
time and return to planet earth from heaven. We will then conclude the
incredible edible Book of Revelation. John has just return to the Isle
of Patmos and the realization of what has just happened suddenly
overcomes
him.
Rev.
22:8 And I John saw
these things, and heard
them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the
feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
We can only imagine the overwhelming
impact it must have
had on John when the reality of being taken to heaven, to the very
throne
of God, and witnessing the awesome events described in this book,
finally
"hit home". And so he fell down to worship before the feet of the
angel.
That's a "no no", and I'm sure but for the emotion of the moment that
he
knew better. "Welcome back to the flesh and humanity", John!
However,
we will learn and even gain a "revelation" from John's mistake as our
Father
once again turns a lemon into lemonade.
[9]
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of
this book: worship God.
This is a very revealing verse. The angel
makes it perfectly
clear that he is "one of us" who has lived in the flesh, from among our
brethren the prophets. He is a fellowservant and he lets us know that
he
is living testimony to keeping the sayings of this book, to being a
"doer"
of what Christ just said in verse 7, "...blessed is he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book."
However, the main point being
emphasized by the angel
is this: We are never to worship angels! And now that you know who they
are, the angel is saying "We are never to worship each other", whether
we are in our flesh bodies or whether we are in our spiritual bodies,
i.e.
angels. Worship only God.
[10]
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book:
for the time is at hand.
Now wouldn't it be a "hoot", that's a
slang expression used
instead of dichotomous, if God had sealed the sayings of this book and
then started it with verse one which reads: "The Revelation of Jesus
Christ,
which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must
shortly
come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His
servant
John: (Rev. 1:1)."
Of course if you listen to what
many preachers and ministers
tell their people, who blindly trust in them to show them the truth of
God's Word, saying that they don't need to understand the Book of
Revelation,
then this is how they present Rev. 1:1 "The Secret and Sealed Sayings
of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to hide from His servants things
which must shortly come to pass;". A sealed revelation? I think not!
But as it is written, the
"learned", the PhD's, the seminary
graduates, the professors of theologies and philosophies, who should
teach
our people the visions and the words of the prophecies of this book do
not understand it, and we shall learn why from great prophet Isaiah!
Isaiah
29:11
And the vision
of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which
men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and
he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
Ah, but the book is not sealed as we just
learned, albeit
they cannot understand it.
[12]
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read
this,
I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
And so feeling unsatisfied from the "spin"
of the so-called
"learned", one asks their fellow church member, who says "You'll have
to
ask one of the "learned" men. I'm not a Rev."
Now here's the reason they cannot
SEE and cannot HEAR
the words of the prophecies of this book.
[13]
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with
their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart
far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Yes, they go to church and they have a
zeal for God, but
they are never truly taught the depth of the love and the emotions and
the rewards and the glory of our Father, which teaching causes the
heart
of the soul to draw ever so close to Him that He can draw ever so close
to them. Why do they not know Him and why will He say "I never knew
you"
(Mat. 7:23)?
The answer is given in the last
phrase of verse 13. For
all they are taught about Him is taught BY THE PRECEPT OF MEN, the
traditions
of men. They are not taught line by line and chapter by chapter the
wonderful
words and the wonderful works of God.
And so contrary to the traditions
of men, the Book of
Revelation is OPEN and UNSEALED for all who will seek Him. And so we
are
all without excuse. And so will "action" be taken, or will the "status
quo" remain just that?
Rev.
22:11 He that is
unjust, let him be unjust
still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be
holy still.
Yes, the sayings of the prophecy of this
book are UNSEALED,
available for ALL to understand, and so your time and my time is at
hand.
And since we must all give account for our own actions, what you do
about
what is written is completely up to you. If you want to remain unjust,
have at it! If you want to remain spiritually filthy, go for it. Just
remember
that our Father has given all of us a choice and He so desires that we
choose to love Him. The following verse from Deuteronomy says it all:
Deut.
30:19
I call heaven
and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you
life
and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou
and thy seed may live:
Therefore know this: Jesus Christ is
returning soon and everyone
will get what they deserve and be rewarded according to that which they
have earned, i.e. according to their works. (No, we're not talking
about
salvation which is a free gift from God. But if a person wants some
rewards
they better have some righteous works.) Here are Christ's own words
which
we remember from verse 6 are "true and faithful", which means there's
no
doubt whatsoever that they are going to come to pass.
Rev.
22:12 And, behold, I
come quickly; and my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
[13]
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
"I am Alpha and Omega". We read these very
words in the 8th
verse of the beginning chapter of this book. Now with only 8 verses to
go we read them again. And in between them we have been given the
special
and honored privilege of SEEING behind the veil the "things which must
shortly come to pass" as revealed by Jesus Christ Himself. But even so
we are now reminded in this verse that He is still the same as from the
beginning and that His message is still the same and knowledge alone
isn't
enough. We must take action and be "doers", not just hearers. How
fitting
the next verse spoken by He who the apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews
13:8
never changes: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever",
the Alpha and Omega.
[14]
Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree
of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Blessed means happy beyond measure. Such
are "they that do
His commandments", for they have the right to the tree of life and may
enter in through the pearly gates into that glorious and holy city
which
is so breathtakingly beautiful that words cannot describe it. But what
about those who choose Plan B?
[15]
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers,
and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Dogs means "idolaters", lovers everything
else except the
true God, and sorcerers are "drug" pushers, dealers and users.
Remember,
we are back in 96 A.D., not in the eternity where the fate of those
listed
in verse 15 will have been fulfilled. Do you remember from chapter 21
verse
8 what their fate is?
Rev.
21:8
But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death.
Knowing this, you would think that the
choice of Deut. 30:19
would not be a tough one, wouldn't you! Let's see:
Deut. 30:19. Choose
one of the following:
Plan
A: Life and Blessings
Plan
B: Death and Cursings
Jesus has a few more final words for us.
Rev.
22:16 I Jesus have sent
mine angel to testify
unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring
of David, and the bright and morning star.
So has your church brought forth the
testimony of the Revelation
that Jesus Christ specifically sent to them? Or are they teaching you
that
you will fly away when these events occur? Or are they busy teaching
you
how to be a good Christian by giving to this charity and that
missionary?
And speaking about the churches,
Jesus reminds us that
He is the One who holds the Key of David that the Church of
Philadelphia
uses to unlock and bring forth the testimony of which He just spoke.
Remember,
there are only two out the seven churches that Jesus found no fault
with,
Smyrna and Philadelphia. The are rest are busy with their traditions!
And remember He also said while
addressing those churches
that He has something special for those who overcome: Rev.
2:28 "And I will give him the morning star."
Jesus is that
bright and morning star.
Or, you can choose to follow Plan
B and fall with the
anti-star, the son of the morning. Isaiah
14:12 "How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!.."
Rev.
22:17 And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come.
And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
And so the Holy Spirit and the bride say
"Come", which is
"take action". And if you have "ears to hear" then you are also to say
"Come", take action. And if you thirst for the hearing of the Word of
God
during this time of the great famine (Amos 8:11), then come and hear
what
saith the Spirit and the bride and those who have eyes to see and ears
to hear. And anyone who is willing, anyone at all, of any race, of any
gender, of any sect or creed, may take freely of the water of life. The
choice is yours. There is neither fee nor tax.
Christ continues in summation:
[18]
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto
him
the plagues that are written in this book:
Go ahead, teach "Rapture" fly away
doctrines and traditions
of men that are not to be found in the Word of God. You'll be sure to
get
your reward. Jesus promised!
[19]
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the
holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Go ahead, tell people that they don't need
to read the Book
of Revelation or that it's just a matter of interpretation, so why
bother!
You'll be sure to get your reward. Jesus promised!
Now for the Revelation of the 7th
and final solemn warning
by our Lord and Savior that He shall return:
[20]
He
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even
so, come, Lord Jesus.
Even so Lord Jesus, "Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done,
as in heaven, so in earth."
[21]
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
To study the
Bible is the noblest of all
pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the
guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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